Press Release

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, author of the Stop Invasive Species Act that was signed into law by President Obama earlier this year, made the following statement today after the discovery of Asian carp eDNA in the North Shore Channel of the Chicago River beyond the electric barriers. Today's news follows last week's announcement by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers indicating that it will not complete its plan to stop the entry of Asian carp into the Great Lakes by 2013 as Stabenow's new law requires.

"This discovery further underscores the Army Corps of Engineers' responsibility to complete its work as mandated by the law," said Stabenow. "Asian carp are on our doorstep, and the only thing protecting the Great Lakes are the electric barriers. There are thousands of Michigan jobs that rely on the Great Lakes, and we need more than temporary fixes. We passed bipartisan legislation to require the Army Corps to finally make stopping Asian carp a top priority, and the Corps needs to follow the law and complete their work."

The Stop Invasive Species Act, written by Sen. Stabenow and Congressman Dave Camp, was signed into law by President Obama in July of this year. The law requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to submit an action plan to permanently prevent invasive species from entering the Great Lakes through various points of entry.

Today's discovery follows the discovery of positive Asian carp eDNA samples taken in western Lake Erie in August. The electric barriers in the Chicago River are the only preventative measures standing between the Asian carp and Lake Michigan.